The Slaughter of the Canaanites – Part 5
have been imagining that Jehovah was at least quasi-just and thus demanded trials for each Canaanite before the Canaanites were condemned to death as punishment for a serious crime or sin. My argument is that there were many kinds of BIAS on the part of Jehovah and the Israelites which would make such trials unfair … The Slaughter of the Canaanites – Part 5
The Slaughter of the Canaanites – Part 4
In Part 3 of this series, I raised twenty objections to a Conservative Christian approach to the Old Testament stories about Jehovah commanding the Israelites to slaughter the Canaanites (men, women, and children). Most of the objections are to the effect that some particular aspect of the slaughter of the Canaanites is evidence that JEHOVAH IS … The Slaughter of the Canaanites – Part 4
A Must-Read Book for Both Christians and Atheists
I’m referring to Randal Rauser’s book, Is the Atheist My Neighbor? If you haven’t read it yet, you should. But don’t take my word for it. (I’m biased as a contributor to one small part of the book.) Instead, read this recent review which appeared in the “Progressive Christian” channel here on Patheos. LINK to review LINK … A Must-Read Book for Both Christians and Atheists
The Slaughter of the Canaanites – Part 2
In Part 1 of this series, I outlined three main Christian responses to the stories of Jehovah commanding the slaughter of the Canaanites and of the Israelites carrying out this command. There are significant problems with each of the three Christian responses, but the response with the most obvious and most serious problems is the … The Slaughter of the Canaanites – Part 2
God, Last Night’s Republication Debate, and Moral Disagreement
During last night’s prime-time Republican Presidential Candidate Debate, Fox News host Megyn Kelly said this: after the break, we’re going to let the candidates make their closing statements, their final thoughts, and God. Stay tuned for that. After the commercial break, Kelly said: “An interesting closing question from Chase Norton on Facebook, who wants to … God, Last Night’s Republication Debate, and Moral Disagreement
The Fragility of Value and God’s Non-Existence
I’m working on a new version of the problem of evil. I don’t know if the argument works, but I’ll summarize it here in the hope of getting feedback. The basic idea is the fragility of value, viz., how (relatively) easy it is to destroy things compared to how (relatively) difficult it is to create … The Fragility of Value and God’s Non-Existence
Link: An Ontological Disproof of Anselmian Theism by Ex-Apologist
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My Recent Call-In Segment with Trent Horn on Catholic Answers Live
A few weeks ago Catholic Answers had a two hour radio show devoted to taking calls from nontheists only. I was the last caller. I had the privilege of having a brief, but very enjoyable and intellectually stimulating conversation with Trent Horn. A fan recently made me aware of a YouTube recording of it. LINK … My Recent Call-In Segment with Trent Horn on Catholic Answers Live
Randal Rauser’s Latest Book (with a Contribution from Yours Truly)
Randal Rauser has written a new book, Is the Atheist My Neighbor? Rethinking Christian Attitudes Towards Atheism. Rauser’s book is a model of philosophical charity. In the book, Rauser argues against Christian stereotypes of atheists, on both empirical and Biblical grounds. For this reason alone, I think all atheists should want this book. Here is a link to the … Randal Rauser’s Latest Book (with a Contribution from Yours Truly)
Link: “The End of the Teapot Argument for Atheism (and All Its Tawdry Imitators)” by Mark F. Sharlow
Abstract: Atheists sometimes use Bertrand Russell’s teapot argument, and its variants with other objects in place of the teapot, to argue for the rationality of atheism. In this paper I show that this use of the teapot argument and its variants is unacceptably circular. The circularity arises because there is indirect evidence against the objects invoked … Link: “The End of the Teapot Argument for Atheism (and All Its Tawdry Imitators)” by Mark F. Sharlow